Shovel loading mechanism



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 5, 1958 O O O G O O O O O O O O O O O 0 mveu'rom ALEXANDER W. CALDER ATTORNEY Oct. 31, A w CALDER SHOVEL LOADING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-*Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1958 mvsmon:

ALEXANDER W. CALDER ATTORNEY Oct. 31, 1961 A. w. CALDER 3,

SHOVEL LOADING MECHANISM Fi 1ec1 March 5, 1958 '5 Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENTOR:

A LEXAN DER W. CALDER ATTORNEY United States Patent 7 3,006,488 SHOVEL LOADING MECHANISM Alexander W. Calder, Franklin, Pa., assignor to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 719,348 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-91) This invention relates to a mobile loader and more particularly to a shovel loading means operatively mounted at the front of a mobile base which dump feeds to a continuous belt conveyor also mounted on the mobile base.

Movement of muck or ore from a tunnel or mine floor to the conveying portion of a loading device presents many problems and is particularly difficult when loading heavy, hard and abrasive materials.

It is therefore a major object of the present invention to provide a continuous belt loader on a mobile base with shovel loading means particularly suitable for loading heavy, hard and abrasive material.

Another object of this invention is to provide shovel means pivotally connected to forward rotatable arms and constructed for slidable engagement at each side with pins of rear rotatable arms.

A further object is for the forward arms of a shovel loading mechanism to rotate in one direction and the rear arms torotate in the opposite direction at twice the speed of the forward arms to impart an appropriate shovel loading and dumping action to the shovel loading means. i

A further object is to provide by appropriate rotation phasing of rear arms to front arms a substantially flat movement of the forward edge of the shovel loading means for a short distance along the bottom of the mine floor during each shovel loading cycle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a positive gear drive and rotational phase maintaining means for the forward and rear driving arms at each side of a shovel loading means.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description and claims when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:

'FIG. 1 is a plan view of my improved mobile continuous belt loader with shovel loading means at the forward end.

FIG. 2. is a side elevation view of the continuous belt shovel loader of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate various phase rotated positions of forward and rear arms and the respective attitudes of the shovel loading mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation cut-a-way view of my continuous belt shovel loader taken along line l-7 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a partial cut-a-way and sectioned view taken along line 88 of FIG. 1, illustrating forward and rear arm phase and drive means detail.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation cut-a-way view of my improved continuous belt shovel loader taken along line 99 of FIG. 2.

In my improved mobile loader 10, an endless belt conveyor structure 12 and a shovel loading means 14, which shovel loads and then dumps to endless belt 16 of the endless belt conveyor structure 12, are mounted on mobile base 18. A motor 20 is mounted on mobile base 18 on each side of the endless belt conveyor structure 12 above the respective tread traction means 22. A drive means 24 extends from the rear of each motor 20 to the respective tread traction means 22.

Conveyor structure 12 is pivotally mounted for slope adjustment about the axis of pivot mounting means 26 which extends transversely across from one side forward- 3,006,488 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 1y projected support structure 28 to the other support structure 28. The pivot mounting means 26 also provides the forward turn means for endless conveyor belt 16. The tail 30 of conveyor structure 12 which mounts the endless conveyor belt drive motor 32 is provided with fluid cylinder slope adjusting means 34 which is pivotally mounted 36 to mobile base 18 and pivotally connected 38 at the end of output rod 40 to the tail 30 of conveyor structure 12.

p A drive line 42 extends from the front of each motor 20 to a worm and gear case 44 which is mounted to the forward end of the respective support structure 28 by bolts 46. Each drive line 42 is drivingly connected to the respective worm 48 which drives a worm gear 50 and through the respective shaft 52 spur gear 54 (see FIG. 9). Shaft 52, which is nonrotatably splined 56 to worm gear 50 and spur gear 54, is also nonrotatably splined 58 to the respective forward shovel loading drive arm 60. Each spur gear 54 drives successive spur gears 62, '64 and 66 which is nonrotatably fixed by shaft means 68 to the respective rear drive arm 70 for shovel loading means 14.

Shovel loading means 14 has a flange 72 at each side which is pivotally connected to the crank throw pin 74 of the respective forward drive arm 60. Each shovel loading means side flange 72 is also provided with a slot or rail guide means 76 along which slides the slot means 78 of the respective crank throw pin '80 of a rear shovel loading means 14 drive arm 70. Spur gears 54, 62, 64 and 66 of each gear case 44 are of such relative sizes and so arranged that gear 66 rotates the respective rear drive arm 70 in the opposite direction and at twice the speed of the forward shovel loading drive arm 60 which is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as seen in the figures. In addition, forward shovel loading drive arm 60 is so rotationally phased through the positive spur gears 54, 62, 64 and 66 and the respective splined shafts 52 and 68 to the respective rear drive arm 70 that shovel loading means 14 during repeated cyclical operation is moved successively through positions such as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 and through such positions as indicated in full and in phantom in FIG. 7. The front edge 82 of shovel loading means 14 is moved along the ground surface in a forward direction for a short distance during the shoveling portion in the cycle of the shovel loading means as appears in FIG. 7, and, in the loading dumping portion of the cycle, the rear edge 84 of the shovel loading means 14 comes into close proximity or contact with and moves along endless belt 16 thereafter in each cycle for a short distance.

I have herein provided an improved mobile loader with a shovel loading means particularly suitable for loading heavy, hard and abrasive material which shovels to an endless belt. I provide shovel means which is pivotally connected at each side to a forward rotatable arm and which is provided with a slot or rail guide means at each side for slidable engagement with a rear rotatable arm. I also provide a shovel loading mechanism in which forward driving arms rotate in one direction and rear arms rotate in an opposite direction at such a difference in speed as to impart appropriate shovel loading and dumping action to the shovel loading means in successive repeating cycles. I have also provided by appropriate rotation phasing of rear arms to front arms a substantially flat forward movement of the forward edge of the shovel loading means for a short distance along the bottom of the mine floor during each shovel loading cycle.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, various changes and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A loading machine comprising a frame with a spaced pair of oppositely driven rotatable shafts having drive armsrigid-ly connected thereto respectively, shovel means, one of'sai'd drive being pivotally connected to said shovel means, the other of said drive arms being slidably connected to said shovel means and wherein said other drive arm is rotated at twice the speed of said one drive arm. g

2. A mobile loader comprising a mobile base having a forward portion, first lever means rotatably mounted on saidforward portion, second lever means rotatably mounted on said forward portion rearwardly of said first lever means, means for rotating said first and second lever meansin opposite directions and wherein said second lever means is rotated at twice the speed of said first lever means, a shovel element having one portion rotatably connected to said first lever means, said shovel element being slidably connected to said second lever means, said slidable connection located on said shovel element rearwardly of said'rotatable connection.

3. A mobile loader comprising a mobile base having a front edge, first crank means and second crank means rotatively mounted on said base in spaced relationshipv wherein said first crank meanstis mounted forwardly of said second crank means "and adjacent said front'edge, means for rotating said first and second crank means in opposite directions, said first crank means being rotated at one half the speed of said second crank means, an elongated shovel element with a longitudinal extending center line, said shovel element having a front loading edge and a rear open'back for discharging material therefrom, pivot means connecting said shovel element to said first crank means for effecting an orbital movement to said front edge, and means on said second crank means slidably engaging a groove onsaid shovel element for efiecting an orbital movement to said rear open back of said shovel element.

4. A mobile loader as set forth in claim 3 wherein said groove on said shovel element extends in a direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal center line of said shovel and said groove extends rearwardly of said pivot means.

5. A mobile'loader as set forth in claim 4 wherein said first crank means and said seoond'crank means each comprises a pair of crank arms in laterally aligned spaced relationship.

6. In a loading machine, a material moving element, means for giving said moving element a substantially continuous movement through a closed path comprising a front pair of laterally spaced cranks and a rear pair of laterally spaced cranks, means for rotating said cranks continuously, said front cranks pivotally connected to the forward portion of said moving element, said rotating rear cranks slidably engaging the rear portion of said moving element, and saidrear pair of cranks being rotated at twice the speed of said front pair of cranks and in opposite rotative directions.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Russell May 28, 1957v 

